On the Conjugacy Problem in Groups and its Variants

Michèle Feltz

Published 2010-04-20Version 1

This thesis deals with the conjugacy problem in groups and its twisted variants. We analyze recent results by Bogopolski, Martino, Maslakova and Ventura on the twisted conjugacy problem in free groups and its implication for the conjugacy problem in free-by-cyclic groups and some further group extensions. We also consider the doubly-twisted conjugacy problem in free groups. Staecker has developed an algorithm for deciding doubly-twisted conjugacy relations in the case where the involved homomorphisms satisfy a certain remnant inequality. We show how a similar condition affects the equalizer subgroup and raise new questions regarding this subgroup. As an application we discuss the Shpilrain-Ushakov authentication scheme based on the doubly-twisted conjugacy search problem in matrix semigroups over truncated polynomials over finite fields. Part of this thesis is devoted to the implementation and testing of some of the previously mentioned concepts in the GAP programming language.